Brothers and Sisters, it is a universally-accepted truth in the religious world that many of the signs of the end times have been achieved, and we are all eagerly awaiting for the coming of the Lord. Yet for all the time we've spent looking up at the clouds waiting for Christ to return in the open, we've seen nary a trace of the Lord Jesus, all the while the Churches on Earth fall into desolation. Every day, pastors walk about preaching human opinions and imaginations like the Trinity, and the religious world looks more and more like the religious Babylon of Revelation.
One day, Sister Wei fellowshipped with me that the Lord had already come, and that He is Almighty God, who has come in the flesh to carry out the work of judging, chastising, and purifying man. Incredulous, I asked "how could it be that the Lord has come? Isn't the Lord going to return in the sky for everyone to see? (Matthew 24:30)"
The manner of the Lord's return
Sister Jia fellowshipped, "while it is true that there will be a visible coming, the Bible also prophesies a hidden coming. Here, let us read some verses:"
'''For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.''' (Luke 17:24-25)
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (Revelation 16:15)
The Bible says that when the Lord comes, we will hear the Gospel of the Lord's return preached to us by others. "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him."(Matthew 25:4) At that time, we must be like the wise virgins in the passage, ready to welcome the Lord's coming, or else he will tell us "Verily I say unto you, I know you not." (Matthew 25:12) Those who reject the second coming of the Lord will not partake in the salvation that He brings with Himself for His second coming. (Hebrews 9:28)
The necessity of the Lord's return
Sister Jia continued her fellowshipping by broaching the subject of salvation. "The religious world teaches that we are saved by faith alone, but does the conform to the message of God's words, or simply to man's opinions and imagination? I think you will see that it's actually the latter."
Sister Jia cited the verses Hebrews 10:26: "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins" and 1 Peter 1:16: "'Be holy, for I am holy."
"The reason why this is important," Sister Jia continued, "is because being saved and achieving full salvation are not the same thing. The work of Lord Jesus ended the Age of Law and brought the Age of Grace, allowing people to obtain atonement for their sins by believing in the Gospel. But even after acquiring atonement, our sinful, Satanic disposition remains. That's why the Lord has returned as Almighty God to begin the Age of Kingdom, expressing words of judgment that cleanse those who obey Him of their Satanic disposition, allowing them to enter the kingdom of Heaven through His salvation of the last days."
The importance of the Lord's name
"But why then," I asked, "is the Lord's name no longer Jesus, but rather Almighty God?"
"You see," Sister Jia fellowshipped, "the Lord's name has a special significance. In the Age of Law, it was Jehovah. In the Age of Grace, it was Jesus. In each of these ages, the Lord's name represented the Lord's work in that age. But today, the Lord's name is Almighty God, which encompasses the entirety of His disposition, His majesty, and His sovereignty."
"This truth," Sister Jia continued, "is reflected in the Bible itself. In Revelation 2:17, the Lord says He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. That is, in the last days, He will have a new name. And indeed we see that in the Book of Revelation, the visions of the future have the name of God as Almighty God. (Revelation 1:8, 11:17)"
So Brothers and Sisters, we must avoid following false Christs, and we must avoid spurning the Lord's work of the last days just because we are afraid of Him being a false Christ. We must not be like those who avoid food for fear of choking. Let us all investigate and obey the work of Almighty God in the last days!
